Bristol Ready To Put Old Schools On The Market

BRISTOL — — For sale or lease: Three retired schools, each well over 80 years old.

The city council agreed Monday night to seek developers interested in buying or leasing the Jennings, O'Connell and Bingham elementary schools, and Purchasing Agent Roger Rousseau said he expects to have proposals by mid-February.

The city hasn't specified how the buildings would be used, but Rousseau said that O'Connell and Bingham are within a half-mile of the proposed downtown redevelopment area.

He said the city wants the buildings converted to a use that would blend in with their neighborhoods. Jennings and O'Connell would seem to be good choices for residential use, he said, while Bingham might be converted for apartments, professional office space or other commercial purpose.

Eager for income from the three buildings, which are now vacant, the council unanimously authorized Rousseau to seek developers' proposals. But council member Henri Martin's move to preserve a strip of land behind O'Connell led to a brief, contentious exchange with Ken Cockayne and then to a split vote.

Martin recommended that the city keep a 25-foot easement through the land between the school building and the nearby Pequabuck River. If Bristol ever wants to build a riverfront bike trail to connect downtown and Rockwell Park, it would need that land — and should be sure to protect it in any deed or lease, he said.

Cockayne disagreed, saying the property is landlocked by nearby houses and wouldn't be conducive to a bikeway. His tone turned sharp when Martin didn't explain how a bikeway would be feasible there.

"This is step one, but what's your step two?" Cockayne demanded.

"I'm not going to get into a boxing match with you," Martin replied.

"Just answer the question," Cockayne shot back.

Other council members noted that a developer probably couldn't build on that land anyway because of wetlands protections. Public Works Director Walt Veselka said that without a special permit, no construction would be allowed within 100 feet of the river.

The council ultimately voted 4-3 to side with Martin and add the easement to sale and lease documents.

Rousseau said he will report back to the council's real estate committee in mid-February on what developers propose for Bingham and Jennings. O'Connell can't be shown to prospective buyers as easily, though, because it's being used to store equipment and supplies from all three of the closed schools.

Rousseau said he should have information about prospective buyers or tenants by late February.